Newsom Claims Victory: See How Los Angeles County Voted

LOS ANGELES, CA — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday became the second governor in U.S. history to trample a recall effort to oust him from his post. The first-term governor received an overwhelming supportive vote Tuesday night, and news outlets called the race less than an hour after polls closed.

The election had Newsom supporters worried for a moment amid slipping margins in midsummer polls and apparent voter apathy among Democrats. But Tuesday’s "no" votes overshadowed the "yes" votes 63.9 percent to 36.1 percent.

On Wednesday morning, 100 percent of the state's precincts had reported, according to figures released by the Secretary of State's Office.

In Los Angeles County, 70.8 percent of local voters said “no” to recalling the governor, while 29.2 percent voted to unseat him. Turnout was 40 percent of the county’s 5,636,409 registered voters, according to the latest update from the Secretary of State’s Office.

Southern California voters proved persistent during Tuesday’s election.

"People were still waiting in line to cast their ballots at Irvine City Hall at 9 p.m.," UC Irvine Professor Dr. Kathleen Treseder told Patch.

Marsha, the lead poll worker at the Santa Monica Convention Center parking lot voting location Tuesday, told Patch that more than 100 people had come to the location by 5 p.m. She was still surprised that President Joe Biden had arrived in Long Beach the night before.

“It’s a big deal, and our president is here,” Marsha said. “I did not expect it.”

She said it’s time for everyone to do the right thing, especially in the pandemic.

“It’s important because we vote — and a lot of people lost their life for us — to vote,” Marsha said. “And whether you think it’s right or whether you think it’s right or you think it’s wrong, you really can’t say nothing unless you go out there and make the effort. You just have to go with the flow.”

She works as a poll worker because it’s important to her.

“So, today I’m here because I believe in the people,” Marsha said. “Voting was made for we the people, and we have to be very honest with ourselves when we’re voting. Don’t vote because everybody else is voting the same. Really think about what you’re doing and who it’s gonna affect because this is going to trickle down to our children and generations through and through. History books are always being made.”

Statewide, total voter turnout was 9,176,526, or 41.6 percent of more than 22 million registered voters. The "no" votes totaled 5,840,283 and the yes votes totaled 3,297,145.

"Thank you for rejecting this recall," Newsom said while declaring victory at the John L. Burton California Democratic Party headquarters in Sacramento just moments after the race was called by The Associated Press.

If Democrats seemed slow to participate in the election, they came out in droves in the end, and high voter turnout worked in Newsom’s favor. With votes still being tallied, Newsom outpaced his own record in the 2018 election, driving numbers up across several pivotal counties.

He exceeded President Joe Biden's margin of victory in California in 2020 in several counties. And populous counties that historically leaned toward Republican victories — including Orange, Riverside and San Diego — came out against the recall Tuesday.

"'No' is not the only thing that was expressed tonight," Newsom said Tuesday night. "I want to focus on what we said 'yes' to as a state: We said yes to science. We said yes to vaccines. We said yes to ending this pandemic."

If there seemed to be an enthusiasm gap between energetic Republicans and apathetic Democrats more than a month ago — that impression was dispelled Tuesday. Some 4.9 million Democrats turned in ballots, compared to 2.5 million ballots from Republicans.

The Republican Party needed all the help it could get in a blue state like California.

Democrats make up 46.5 percent of all registered voters. Republicans account for just 24 percent. Republicans have not won the governor’s seat since 2006, when Arnold Schwarzenegger won re-election as governor following the 2003 recall of Gray Davis.

But it’s safe to say that voters won’t see the last of Newsom’s biggest GOP threat — talk show host Larry Elder — who conceded in Orange County on Tuesday night.

"Come on, let's be gracious in defeat," Elder said to a booing crowd after announcing Newsom's win. He closed that speech with: “We’ve got a state to save.”

Patch Editors Paige Austin, Ashley Ludwig and Nicole Charky contributed to this report.

Read More:

• Elder Concedes And Pauses Fraud Claims To Look Ahead
• Newsom Crushes Recall, But Where Does California Go From Here?
• Photos: California Decides To Keep Or Kick Gov. Gavin Newsom
• How Did Calabasas' Candidate Fare In Tuesday's Recall?
• Police Scramble To Find Elder's Egger
• California Recall: Newsom Well Positioned As Elder Cries Foul
• Orange County Rejects Recall By Narrow Margin: Report